Giddy for Guinness

Giddy for Guinness

By Sarah Staelgraeve

5/23/16 marks day 10 of our 5-week study abroad adventure. Today we woke up in Dublin, Ireland and had two separate tours planned for this exciting Monday. The first being Parliament, the House of Government for the Irish. As we walked around I kept comparing the area to what I see in the US, and I came to the conclusion security is tighter back home.

our tour guide let us snap a picture even though cell phones were not aloud

Although we have had little opportunity to watch UK television, I believe government issues are less televised here compared to at home where it feels like every other station is talking about politics (especially with the up coming election). The majority of people in Ireland know a decent amount about our politics, but I cannot say the same about American’s knowledge about Ireland’s politics. Most Americans have little knowledge of politics in Ireland. After the tour of Parliament, we ate a brief lunch and were off to the Guinness tour.

The building was enormous and contained seven levels of all the wonders of Guinness beer. How Guinness started, how it is made, how it is advertised, how it tastes and so on. The sale of beer is a major player in the advertising world and visiting the Guinness operation made me think about all the commercials and signs I have seen that try to sell beer.

In the UK, Guinness is a huge brand. It was started in the UK and the fact that it is so popular tells me that the local people tend to stick with traditions, and I believe Guinness will always be a big hit in Ireland especially for the locals. Tasting it (even though I am not the biggest fan) made me feel more connected to the culture of Ireland.